Some of social media’s most influential personalities are speaking at Flow’s Safer Internet Week Teen Summit on Tuesday where they are discussing building a positive self-image in the digital age.

Featuring youth leaders, social media influencers and mental health specialists, the calendar event will be hosted by Joel Nomdarkham, social media and personal branding expert, and Debbie Bissoon, media personality.  The line-up includes entrepreneur and music executive Romeich Major, actress Juliet ‘Julie Mango’ Bodley, and content creators Chiney K Pop Girl and Singh Zima.  President of the University of the West Indies (UWI) guild of students Danielle Mullings and Psychologist Craig McNally will also participate in the discussion.

For popular social media personality and mental health advocate, Julie Mango, the discussion is very timely as various research papers cite the harmful influence of social media on teens’ perception of themselves.

As she prepares to share her experience at the Summit, she states, “Don’t be afraid of what you see on social media. It’s fun and everyone’s trying to be their best. The sexiest thing you could ever do is be yourself because comparison leads to idolatry. Your beauty standard is you. Yuh nice eeeh!”

The Teen Summit marks the global observance of Safer Internet Day and kicks-off the weeklong celebration of Flow’s annual Safer Internet Week, an online safety advocacy and educational campaign.

According to Kayon Mitchell, Flow’s Director of Communications and Stakeholder Engagement, “With the increased usage and integration of the internet in our daily lives, it is important that we continue to educate our teens and other vulnerable groups about how they can be safe online, develop healthy habits in their online usage, leverage the positive things about the internet and know where to seek help if they are at risk or threatened.”

Mitchell added that cyberbullying and cancel culture were also high agenda topics for discussion at all activities over the weeklong event.

On Thursday, February 10, the company will host a Think Tank comprised of experts in cybercrime, child protection and information technology and security to examine the role of internet safety in national development.  The focus shifts to senior citizens on Friday, February 11 at 10 AM with a forum hosted by Fae Ellington and Glen ‘Titus’ Campbell where they will explore how this community can identify and protect themselves from scammers and phishers while enjoying the internet safely.  The week climaxes with a Kids’ Talk for pre-teens hosted by Dr Terri-Karrelle Reid on Saturday, February 12 at 9:30 AM highlighting SMART tips of keeping safe online, a closer look at positive online habits for preteens and how parents can better monitor their child’s online behavior.

The Teen Summit and the Seniors’ Forum will stream live on Flow’s social media platforms (@flowjamaica on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook) while the Kids’ Talk will be broadcast live on TVJ.

Flow’s Safer Internet Week also has strong support from key stakeholders including The Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology (MSET), Jamaica Cyber Incident Response Team (JACIRT), The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), The National Secondary Students’ Council, the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), The National Council for Senior Citizens, The Jamaica Observer and Our Today which are all on board for the event.

Over the years, Flow has consistently demonstrated its commitment to championing online safety. Through its Foundation, the company has trained over 600 students at the primary school level as Safer Internet Ambassadors, has hosted its’s Annual Summit for thousands of attendees and has been recognized by the National Council for Senior Citizens for creating and enabling a supportive environment for seniors.